Skin is exposed to and covered with a variety of materials and microbes, including bacteria. When a product is applied to the skin, the bacteria may transfer to the applicator. Under some conditions, the transferred microbes may multiply, further contaminating the applicator. These microbes may then be applied to the skin during subsequent applications.
Additionally, it may be challenging and time consuming to apply a uniform coating of a product to the skin. When the product is medicinal, such non-uniform application may result in under dosing or over dosing of portions of the skin. As a result, some medications may be dispensed at concentrations below optimal to reduce risk of overdose.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a device that allows local application of a product to the skin while preventing contamination of the application device. In addition, it is desirable to have a device that provides a simple, consistent, controlled thickness for a topically applied product. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.